An NP reefer has been unloaded and waits for pickup at Deka Siding.

What a night! For about 2 ⅓ hours the men of the Highland Pacific Railroad, Route of the Highlander, followed Timetable No. 3 to run mainline trains and local freight. Train Master James Keena spent several days and many hours getting the layout set to match the timetable. Kudos to James for organizing the layout in preparation for Timetable and Car Card operation.

Operations using a real-time clock began at 7 PM and concluded about 9:20 PM. The crew moved passengers, freight, and mail over the high iron. Other crews worked the yards and ran the locals. Trains ran on time (mostly) and we progressed through the Dispatchers Train Line-Up Schedule apace.

We had guests that visited the layout last week when we were setting up the layout for the Timetable session but there were no operations. They wanted to see the impressive Highland Pacific Railroad in operation so the returned for a second visit; this time when we were in full-dress operating.

Operators for this session were:

James Keena, Trainmaster and Dispatcher
Lindsay Smith, Mainline Engineer
Bill Chappell, Mainline Engineer
Gary Glaze, Mainline Engineer
Dave Dodds, Mainline Engineer
Bryan Hunnell, Vista Yard Operator
Ron Merkel, Del Mar Passenger Terminal Operator
Ron Wardwell, West End Yard Operator
Pat Keegan, Blue Island Local
Arie Korporaal, Doering Local
Dave Flynn

Early standards checking of rolling stock, passenger equipment, and locomotives paid off handsomely. There were no equipment failures nor "bad orders" at any time during the session.

Come on down and operat your model railroad like the pros. Our next Timetable and Car Card operating session is scheduled for Wednesday, September 30, 2015. The fun begins at 7 PM. Be there or be square.